First published in 1958, The Southeast in Early Maps is William Cumming's classic study of the mapping of the Southeast before the American Revolution. By analyzing printed and manuscript maps of the area in the light of other contemporary primary documents, the book traces the expansion of geographical knowledge about the Southeast over the course of its discovery and colonization.

With 124 illustrations--including a new gallery of 24 color reproductions of maps selected from the Cumming Collection in the E. H. Little Library at Davidson College--this stunning edition will be a valuable reference for scholars, collectors, cartographers, geographers, historians, archaeologists, archivists, librarians, genealogists, and surveyors. It features an introductory essay on the early historical cartography of the region, an extensive annotated checklist of printed and manuscript local maps from the colonial period, an updated bibliography, and a new section on the role of Native Americans in the mapping of the Southeast.

William P. Cumming (1900-1989) was Irvin Professor of English and chair of the English department at Davidson College. An acknowledged authority on the mapping of North America, Cumming built the finest collection of maps of the American Southeast to rest in private hands. Louis De Vorsey, Jr., professor emeritus of geography at the University of Georgia, is the most highly honored historical geographer working in the Southeast. He is author of Keys to the Encounter: A Library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study of the Age of Discovery.

Reviews

"Thoroughly revised and brought up to date by Cumming . . . and Louis DeVorsey Jr., this magnificent volume deserves a place in the library of every student of the region’s history. . . . An essential work."--Journal of Southern History

"All those interested in the history, development, and cartography of the colonial Southeast can be grateful that a tried-and-true reference work is once again readily available, and in an updated, attractive, and enhanced form."--North Carolina Historical Review

"The definitive reference work on the cartography of the Southeast during the colonial period. . . . A must purchase for researchers, collectors, and anyone else interested in the historical cartography of the Southeast."--Southeastern Geographer

"Elegantly designed, clearly printed, and beautifully bound. . . . Historians as well as cartographers will value this book."--Library Journal

"No historian, geographer, librarian, genealogist, book collector, archaeologist, or any other scholar can do without this book. It is the bible of Dixie’s geographic past."--Roy Parker Jr., Fayetteville Observer-Times

"The Southeast in Early Maps is an attractively designed and produced volume containing a wealth of cartographic and historical material."--AB Bookman's Weekly